1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Held a praying mantis
9. Climbed a mountain
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you're not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo's David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone's life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Read an entire book in one day

So... I don't know where that leaves me for the rest of my life, but I've done over half of the things on the list. Interesting.

Waiting for His return....

I read Luke 12:35-40 this morning while I was doing a Beth Moore study on Jesus. The passage is about waiting for the Master to return, and being watchful while we wait. In each study she asks a couple questions to get us thinking, and these particular questions made me think today:

1. What keeps you most distracted from awaiting Christ's return?

2. What are some very practical things you could be doing to constantly remind yourself to be scanning the skies, looking forward to His appearing?

I don't generally think about Christ's return on a daily basis. I am usually thinking about all the other things in my day. You know, the immediate things. I'm not sure that I'm living a watchful life, waiting for Christ's immanent return, in constant preparation for His coming. If my mother is coming to visit, though, I spend a great deal of time thinking about what I need to do to prepare for her coming. I need to make the guest bed, clean the guest bathroom, make sure the guest towels are clean, clear out my schedule so that I have lots of time to spend with her... It is at the forefront of my mind for a few weeks before she arrives because I am preparing for her arrival. How, then, ought I be preparing for Christ's arrival? What ought I be keeping at the forefront of my mind to work on so that it is done when His flight comes in? And how do I keep His impending return fresh in my mind so that it is not clouded out by all the other things I have to do on a day to day basis?

There are a couple practical things that I came up with that would help me keep my mind focused on Him and His return. Both are scriptural, and both, I believe, were commanded to the Isrealites before Christ walked the earth. So while they are not specific commands related to the coming of our Lord, they are good for daily reminders so I do not forget and so that I keep vigilant in my preparation for His return.

1. Scripture memory... When you have a storehouse of scripture in your mind, it is easier to meditate on it and the Lord can more readily bring it to your attention when you need to be focused on Him. There are verses about His return and His reign and what we ought to be doing to serve Him that will help us prepare for His coming.

2. Talk about it when we sit and when we rise... I have a 2 year old, and I can be talking about Jesus and His return with her. We can focus on His kingdom and what it looks like to serve Him. If His return is something I make a point to talk about and think about, I will be more likely to do it often and to prepare myself for His return so that I am ready when He arrives.

I want to be actively awaiting His return, and not found sleeping with my lamp out when He arrives.